


One Ending, A New Beginning

by orphan_account



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M, Post-Mockingjay, post-epilogue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-13
Updated: 2013-01-13
Packaged: 2017-11-25 09:10:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/637321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katniss and Peeta's adventures in raising their children.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I trek through the woods, my eyes darting around, searching for Raya.

One minute she was there, one minute she wasn't. Instantly, I was looking for her, but I'm scared. It's been about fifteen minutes. I called her name but she didn't respond. She wasn't in any trees in the area. So where is she?

"Raya!" I call again. I'm not liking this.

Too many scenarios keep flooding my head, with many failed attempts to block them out. My daughter is in the woods. Not with me, but alone. Alone with no one to protect her but herself. What's happening? Is she being eaten by mutts? No. There's no mutts. There's no one set out to kill her. Except the animals. And the plants she doesn't know. Sure, she knows many of the plants, and she knows how to shoot an animal. She's a smart girl. But she's also only nine.

Suddenly it comes to me. The lake. Her favorite place in the world. I take off running before I can think of anything else.

It doesn't take long to get there. Adrenaline running through me, the short distance.

But she's not there. How is she not here? I felt so sure she was here, so sure that- Wait. A head pops out of the water.

"Oh my gosh, Raya!"

She gives me a questioning look.  
"Raya why did you take off like that?" I ask.  
"I told you I was going to the lake!" She exclaims.  
I'm about to yell at her that she didn't, but she doesn't lie, I trust her. "I didn't hear you." Is all I say.

"I'm sorry mom, I thought that you did, and it's just so hot outside and-"  
"Its alright, its alright." I say, interrupting her excuses. Valid excuses. I'm sure she thought I heard her, and it is hot outside. In fact I'm considering jumping in myself. But unlike Raya, I prefer not to get my hunting clothes wet.  
"I'll tell you what, how about we go home, get swimming clothes and bring everyone else out to the lake?"  
She beams at me. "Can I get Kacey?"

Kacey is her best friend, although like Gale and I, they look like they could be related. Blue eyes, olive skin, dark brown hair. Peeta teases them by calling them by each others names.

"Yes, you may." I answer.  
Her smile grows wider. "Thank you!"

Raya is a sweet girl, although stubborn at times. If she doesn't get what she wants, she'll argue. If it weren't for me she'd probably be a spoiled brat. Two stubborn girls in the house doesn't always work well though.

We walk into the house and I'm immediately greeted by the cold air.  
"We're home!" I yell, placing my bag on the floor.  
"In the kitchen!" I hear Peeta yell in reply.  
The kitchen is a mess. Everything is coated in flour, including Peeta and Roy.  
"What happened here?"  
"Well the drama makers left, so what were we to do?" Peeta answers.  
I laugh. "Well apparently, wreck the whole kitchen."  
"Its snowing!" Roy exclaims.  
"Yes Roy, snowing in summer." Raya says sarcastically.  
"Hey, whats wrong with snow in summer?" I ask her.  
"Uh, everything?"  
I laugh again, along with Roy and Peeta, Raya looking at us with a slight smile on her face. Laughter is heard more often now. There's more purpose to laugh when there's joy.  
"So who wants to go to the lake?" I ask.  
"Me!" Says Roy.  
I scoop the five year old up in my arms, getting flour all over me. He giggles.  
"And maybe we can get all of this off of you, silly!" He giggles some more, and I set him down.

An hour later, we're all at the lake. Kacey and Raya are talking, Roy splashing them. I smile at the sight of it, thinking of when my father used to take me here. I miss him dearly. I miss them all, but I don't want to think of it right now.

"Cute kids." Peeta says.  
"They sure are." I agree. "So what did you two make today?"  
"It's a surprise!" He answers.  
I laugh a little and rest my head on his shoulder.  
"Raya ran off today."  
"Was she alright?"  
"I would have told you if she wasn't alright."  
He nods.  
"She went here, but I couldn't find her for a while. It scared me...I thought that maybe..." I shudder a little, and he rubs my back.  
"It's alright, she's safe now."  
"I know, it just scared me. Fifteen minutes she was out there. On her own."  
"She's a smart girl Katniss."  
"I know she is. She's nine though."  
"Relax. She's alright. She's here now, happy and safe."  
I sigh and try to relax.

He's right. We're all here. Happy and safe. Happy was once a foreign feeling to me. As was safe. But here, now, we're all safe. Safe from the games, safe from Snow, safe from Coin, safe from Capitol creations. The world's a better place now. I start to list good things that people have done in my head. Peeta with the bread, Cinna for his designs and sacrifice, Finnick for giving his own life so we could go on, Annie for fighting the depression to take care of her son, Prim for taking care of Buttercup and Lady, my mother with all of her patients, I could go on. But right now I just want to enjoy this moment where we're all happy. Because happiness doesn't last forever.


	2. Chapter 2

I wake up the next morning to Kacey and Raya yelling at the top of their lungs.  
Groaning, I pull the covers off my body. Peeta's not in the bed, so I assume he went downstairs to make breakfast.

Kacey bursts into the room, then sees me. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Mrs. Mellark!"  
I smile slightly, as annoyed as I am. I'm always annoyed when Raya brings friends over, especially for a sleepover, because every time its the same- getting waken up by two little girls yelling, singing, jumping, etc.  
Kacey leaves the room, and I hear Raya yell, "ready or not here I come!"  
I get off the bed and walk over to the closet. After taking off my nightclothes, I throw on a green t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

As I walk downstairs, the smell of cinnamon buns fills my nose.  
And of course, three chattering children.  
Walking into the kitchen, I find Peeta. "Good morning," I say groggily.  
"Morning," he answers, turning around to face me.  
"They're going to be so hyper" I tell him, referring to the cinnamon buns.  
"They're already hyper," he says.  
I laugh.  
Suddenly, he pulls me into a hug. "I love you." He says.  
I'm slightly startled, but after a second I return the hug. "I love you too."  
"Nightmare?" I ask once we've both pulled away, already knowing the answer.  
He nods. "It was Snow... He strapped me to a wall, took the three of you, and made me watch..." He trails off, and I hug him again, knowing what it feels like to have to see that, to feel it, to have it seem so real, but its not.

Suddenly, Roy screams and we both rush out into the dining room.  
"What's wrong?" I ask, panicked.  
"Nothing!" Raya exclaims, and I look at her suspiciously.  
"Sissy keeps tickling me!" Roy yells.  
"Raya, tone it down a little bit, okay?" I ask, for both my own sake and Roy's.  
She nods.

"I miss Kacey." Raya says glumly.  
"I know, but you'll see her tomorrow." I say, resisting the urge to point out that she was just with Kacey literally two minutes ago.  
"But tomorrows too far away!" She exclaims.  
"Raya, Kacey needs to get ready for school tomorrow, and be with her family."  
"But why can't she stay at our house?"  
"Because she needs to be with her family." I repeat.  
"Why?"  
"Because they haven't seen her since yesterday morning."  
"So?"  
I sigh. With Raya you don't just explain once and get it over with. "Raya, Kacey can't come over right now. You'll see her tomorrow though, I promise."  
"Alright," she finally says.

We walk into the house and Roy's in the living room, playing with a toy train.  
Raya rushes over to play with him. I guess today she feels loving.  
"Where's daddy?" I ask Roy.  
He looks up at me, shrugs, then goes back to his train.  
I look in the kitchen and dining room but Peeta's not there.  
I'm walking up the stairs when I hear a scream.


	3. Chapter 3

Raya looks at me, fear so clearly shown in her face.  
"Stay down here," I tell her.  
She nods and tries to distract Roy. I continue up the stairs and silently enter our bedroom, where I find Peeta, gripping tightly onto the comforter. I'm almost next to him when he stands up.  
"No. Go." His voice is dark and doesn't sound like him. It would scare me if I hadn't gotten used to this over the years.  
"Peeta," I say, attempting to keep my voice calm. "Peeta, calm down. It's alright, it's just me, Katniss."  
He looks up at me with confusion, and that's when I know this is worse than I originally thought.  
I take a deep breath and continue. "I'm Katniss, and you're Peeta. We have two children, Raya and Roy."  
He still looks at me strangely, although he seems maybe a little less confused now. At least he's not trying to kill anyone.  
"Whatever you're seeing right now, it's not real. Just a hallucination."  
He nods. "Not real..."  
He begins to mutter this over and over, as if trying to convince himself. I silently step closer to him. Then, suddenly, he wraps his arms around me.  
"I'm sorry," he whispers.  
I pull apart and look at him. "Nothing to be sorry for."  
He looks down at the floor, knowing there's no point in arguing.

"Mommy?" I hear a small voice in the hall, and know it's Roy's.  
Peeta has instantly scooped him up into his arms. "Hey buddy!"  
Roy laughs. "Hi daddy!"  
I smile just a little at the sight of the two. Sometimes I think that having kids is hard work. Sometimes I fear something will go wrong. But it's times like these when any doubts or fears are washed away.

Raya comes running up the stairs to see what all the ruckus is about. She looks at us thoughtfully, then asks "Mommy, can we go hunting?"  
I laugh. Yes, of course. Go get your bow."  
She grins at me then runs into her room.  
"Well I guess I'm taking a little girl out hunting. Love you," I tell Peeta.  
"Love you too," he responds.

"Look!" Raya whispers excitedly, pointing towards a deer.

I put a finger to my lips, signaling for her to be a little quieter. I then point at her, asking if she wants to attempt to shoot the deer. She nods her little head up and down, then looks determinedly at the deer. Pulling the bowstring back, she squints at it, then lets the arrow fly. I watch as she looks on as the arrow fly's straight into the deer's leg, and it falls to the ground. She whips her head around to look at me, and smiles wide. I smile back and we both walk over to get her deer.

"Daddy, daddy, guess what?" Raya is jumping up and down with excitement, she's been glowing ever since she shot her very first deer.  
"What? Did mommy get lost in the woods?" Peeta asks.  
Raya laughs. "No! Mommy doesn't get lost in the woods!"  
I smile in spite of myself. She knows that I won't get lost in the woods, because I still know that place like the back of my hand.  
"Okay, okay, what happened?"  
"I shot a deer!"  
"You did?" Peeta looks at her in surprise.  
She nods. "I did!"  
I laugh. "She did! She really did!"  
"My little girls growing up!" Peeta exclaims.  
I laugh a little more, but then I look at her and realize she really is growing up. It feels like just yesterday she was saying her first words and learning how to walk. Now she's just shot her first deer.

"Peeta..."  
"Yes dear?" Peeta asks, sitting next to me on the couch.  
"I was just thinking about something...They just, grew up so fast..."  
Peeta looks at me, almost sad. "I know. I sort of miss the two little kids running in the meadow."  
"Me too," I respond.  
He drapes an arm over my shoulder. "It'll be okay though."  
I nod. "I know, I just feel like it was yesterday when Raya was saying her first words, and Roy was tripping over his own legs."  
Peeta chuckles a little. "And now Raya's just shot her first deer and Roy's learning how to bake bread."  
I nod again. We sit in silence for a while, and eventually, we both fall asleep on the couch.

I awake to Peeta's voice.  
"Katniss, come on, we have to get Raya ready."  
I groan and open my eyes.  
"Good morning," he says  
"Good morning," I answer.  
"Raya's not awake yet." He tells me.  
I sigh. "Great," I say sarcastically.  
"Sorry," he says apologetically.  
"Not your fault," I tell him, then get off the couch.

"I don't want to go to school!" Raya exclaims.  
"Don't you want to see Kacey?" I ask.  
"Well, yes, but I don't want to do schoolwork!"  
"Raya, you can't see Kacey if you don't go to school."  
She sighs, then without a word, walks over to her closet. We've won this argument.

"Bye Raya! Love you!" We call after her, as she walks down the driveway.

We close the door, then sigh. I miss her already. But she's a pain to get up in the morning.  
Now it's just Me, Peeta, and Roy.


	4. Chapter 4

Roy's still asleep, so Peeta decides to go ahead and make breakfast. I stand by the counter, pouring glasses of milk for all of us.  
"Mommy!" I hear a cry from upstairs, and it startles me so much I almost spill the whole gallon of milk. I set the carton down and rush upstairs into Roy's room.

"Mommy?" Roy asks tentatively.  
I sit next to him on his bed. "I'm right here. What's wrong honey?"  
"I had a bad dream," he says.  
"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask gently.  
He shakes his head, and a few tears fall from his eyes.  
I give him a sad smile and lean over to hug him. "It's okay sweetie, it's okay. It was just a dream."  
I let go of him and he looks at me with glassy eyes.  
"You hungry? Daddy made pancakes," I tell him.  
His eyes light up, and suddenly all traces of the nightmare are gone.  
"Pancakes!" He exclaims, jumping out of bed.  
I chuckle a little and follow him down the stairs.

"Hey little guy!" Peeta smiles as Roy jumps into his arms.  
"Good morning daddy!"  
"Are you hungry?" Peeta asks.  
"Yes! Pancakes!" Roy exclaims, jumping up and down.  
Peeta laughs as Roy runs into the dining room, and soon we're all sitting at the table eating.

"So, are you going to work today?" I ask Peeta.  
"No, Hayden called in sick, so I figured I'd go ahead and take the day off."  
"Oh, alright. Is he okay?"  
"Yeah, just sick. He didn't give me any details or anything."  
I nod, and Roy looks up. "Daddy, can you teach me how to draw a flower?"  
I wonder where this idea came from, but Peeta gladly tells him he will after breakfast.  
We eat in silence from then on, Roy in the living room, both me and Peeta involved in our own thoughts.  
I think of how it wont be long before Roy is in school. The little boy who I once held in my arms and sang to sleep is growing up fast. So is the little girl who used to dance in circles all day long.  
I used to think I was never going to have children, but now I don't know how I would live without them. It can be treacherous. But I love them to pieces. And the world they live in is so much better then the world Peeta and I lived in.

We all sit on the front porch, Roy with his notebook, Peeta beside him, instructing him on how to draw a sunset.  
Roy looks up and squints at something at the distance. "I think I see sissy!"  
I look up and see Raya, talking among her small group of friends. As she approaches the house, she see's us, and her face lights up. I smile. She waves goodbye to her friends, then runs over to us.  
"Hi!" She chirps.  
"Hey pumpkin! How was your day?" Peeta asks brightly.  
"Good! Kacey was sick though, so she wasn't there." She says a little glumly.  
Me and Peeta exchange glances. If Kacey was sick while she was here, then we might all have this illness that's traveling around.  
"Sissy! Look! I drew a flower!" Roy says, holding up his notebook.  
Raya smiles. "It's very pretty!"  
I get a good look at the flower, and realize it's a Primrose. I try to fight it off, the nightmares. Peeta notices and begins to gently rub my back.

"It's cold out here," Raya says suddenly. A shiver goes down my spine as I realize she's right.

Once we're all inside, Raya goes upstairs to do homework, and Roy goes to his room to draw some more.  
"So if Kacey was sick..." I trail off, and Peeta nods.  
"They didn't know."  
I nod. "No, I know, I'm just...Worried a little. Should we keep Raya home from school?"  
Peeta thinks about it for a moment. "Maybe. Let's just wait and see, okay?"  
"Okay."

So we wait. And guess who got sick? Me. And Raya, who hasn't woken yet. Or at least I haven't heard her. I decide to go find out. I pull the covers off my body, careful not to wake Peeta, and rise out of bed. I get so dizzy though, I fall right back down on the bed. This wakes Peeta up.  
"Oh, Katniss..." He says, looking at me. Apparently I look as miserable as I feel.  
"What? I'm alright." I say indifferently.  
"You don't look it."  
I sigh, giving up quicker than usual. I don't feel okay either. I feel absolutely terrible. I can't imagine how Raya feels.  
"Raya." I choke out, just as I start to cough.  
"It's alright, I'll go check on her. You stay here, okay?" I nod. "Are you hungry?"  
I shake my head, and he sighs. I know what this means. He's going to bring breakfast up anyway. I'll refuse to eat it. And he'll eventually coax me to eat a few bites.  
But for now, that's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about Raya.

Peeta comes back into the room. "She's still asleep."  
I sigh. "You think she's okay?"  
"She'll be alright."  
I cough involuntarily.  
"Do you need anything?"  
"I'm fine, promise."  
He nods, and goes downstairs.

I look around the room, for lack of anything better to do. I see mine and Peeta's wedding photo. A picture of Raya when she was born, next to it Roy when he was born. A painting Peeta did of the meadow, and the forest. I sigh and let my head fall back to the pillow.

This better go away soon.


	5. Chapter 5

"Katniss?" I hear Peeta's voice.  
I open my eyes. "Mmm?"  
"Someones here to see you," he informs me.  
I sit up. "What? Who?"  
"Gale."  
My eyes open wide. "Wh...Why is Gale here?"  
Peeta shrugs. "Don't know."  
I cough, my throat still itchy from being sick.  
"I don't want to get him sick," I say, attempting to make excuses.  
He sighs, then starts his way downstairs.  
I slow my breathing, trying to listen to their conversation.  
"She said she didn't want to get you sick," Peeta tells him.  
"She's sick?"  
"Yeah...One of Raya's friends was over a few days ago, and no one knew she was sick," he explains.  
"Peeta please, just let me see her! I don't care if I get sick."  
Peeta sighs. "I'll go ask her again."  
"Gale said he doesn't care if he gets sick, he wants to see you," Peeta informs me.  
I sigh, and think about this for a moment.  
"Fine. But if he gets sick, it's his fault," I say.  
Peeta nods and goes back downstairs.

A few moments later, Gale is upstairs.  
"Hi," I say weakly.  
"Hey"  
We study each other for a moment, realizing how different our lives are from the last time we saw each other.  
"So...How are you?" I ask awkwardly.  
"Fine. I guess you're not doing too well right now-"  
"I'm fine actually," I interrupt him.  
"Oh. Alright. Well, um, I was just here to help Thom with something...I guess I just sort of wanted to see the kids," he admits.  
I realize he hasn't even seen them. The last time he was here was barely a month before Raya was born.  
"I'll go get them...But Raya's sick too." I tell him.  
He shrugs, unaffected by this information.

A few minutes later, I walk back in, with the kids trailing behind me.  
"Raya, Roy, this is Gale."  
"Hi," they both say.  
Roy looks at Gale for a moment. "Mommy, is this the friend you once told us about?"  
I almost smile at the memory, but then remember those days are gone. "Yes, Roy."  
"Oh. Hi mommy's friend!"  
Gale chuckles. "Hey buddy. You're Roy right?"  
Roy nods. "Yup! And you're Gale!"  
"Yup. And your sister here is Raya?  
"Yeah! She's sick though, so don't touch her or you might get cooties."  
I hear Peeta laugh beside me.

I never thought Gale would be good with kids. But apparently, he is, because a few hours later when he has to leave, the kids are begging him to stay.  
"Gale has to go help Thom," Peeta says.  
I watch from the kitchen, drinking a cup of mint tea. And then suddenly, it all comes back to me in a rush as I realize the mint taste; the same mint taste of the mint leaves we had after dinner. Gale teaching me to set up a snare. The two of us sitting in a tree, waiting for the electricity to turn off. Prim's face lighting up when we brought her Lady. Sharing the bread and the goat cheese on the morning of the reaping.  
It's strange that the simplest thing could bring back these memories, but it does. And as I watch Gale grab his coat, I know I must say something before he leaves. I set my cup down and rush over to him, enveloping him in a hug.  
"Thank you." I tell him.  
He stays silent, but something tells me he understands.


	6. Chapter 6

"Mom?" I look up from the garden at the sound of Raya's voice.  
"Yes sweetie?" I ask.  
"Daddy's in the living room," she informs me.  
I give her a quizzical look. "And..."  
"He's having a flashback..." She says, her glance moving to the ground.  
I jump up and dart inside.

"Peeta?" I ask gently, walking into the living room.  
"No. Get out of here. Go!" He says.  
"Peeta, it's okay. It's not real," I assure him.  
"No, it's all real. You're just a terrible mutt, and you're here to kill me!"  
Behind me, as not to scare Peeta, I wave my hand at Raya, signaling for her to go upstairs.  
"Peeta, it's okay. I'm not a mutt. I'm not going to kill you."  
"Yes you are!" He screams. "Get away from me!"  
It's worse. It's much worse. I can tell right away this isn't going to go away quickly.  
I hear Raya go up the stairs. "Peeta. It's okay. It's just me, Katniss. I'm your wife. We have two children," I recite, saying what I say every time this happens.  
"Well you're a terrible wife!"  
I have nothing to say in reply to that. It's not that I believe I'm a terrible wife, I don't. But I don't know what to say. So I stay silent and look at him. His eyes are so clouded over I don't even see the bright blue irises anymore. I see black. It's all black.  
"You're a terrible person!" He exclaims.  
Maybe I am. I feel a tear on my cheek, although I didn't even realize I was crying.  
"And, you're a terrible mother!"  
That's what breaks me. Suddenly the tears blur my vision, threatening to overflow.  
Peeta continues though.  
"Why were you even born? You're just here to kill me, aren't you? You sick mutt!"  
I try to shake my head and tell him I'm not, but it's useless. He continues to yell at me, his words hurting me like a blade. I mentally slap myself for being like this. I know it's not him. I shouldn't be crying, I should be helping him. But no, instead I'm curled up in a ball on the couch crying. And perhaps it's because a part of me believes what he's saying is true. Maybe I really am a terrible wife and a terrible mother. In the back of my head, the fear has been nagging at me. But Peeta's hijacked self has brought this to the forefront of my mind, and I'm not going to let it go anytime soon.

It's been maybe about fifteen minutes when I hear Peeta go upstairs, mumbling something about why he even agreed to marry me. I don't move from my spot on the couch, and the tears continue to fall.

"Mommy?" I hear Roy's voice beside me and I look up.  
"Hey buddy," I say, attempting to keep my voice as steady as possible.  
"Mommy, are you okay?"  
I nod.  
"Did daddy have a shiny dream?"  
I nod again.  
"It's okay mommy. Dada didn't mean those things. He loves you a lot. He loves you this much!" He stretches his arms to the point where they're almost behind him, and I smile.  
"I know sweetie. Daddy loves you too. But sometimes mommy just has to cry a little. You know those times when you have a nightmare, and sometimes you cry? Not because it hurts outside, but because it hurts on the inside."  
Roy nods.  
"It's sort of like that. I'll be okay though. Just like you're okay after you've had a nightmare. Do you understand?"  
Roy nods again, then gives me a big hug. "I love you mommy."  
I hug him back. "I love you too buddy."

A while later, Peeta comes downstairs. His face is streaked with tears, and his eyes are bloodshot. I imagine I don't look much different. He comes over to the couch, sits next to me, then lifts me up and puts me in his lap.  
"I'm sorry. Sorry doesn't begin to explain how sorry I am. I'm sorry I hurt you, Katniss."  
I look up at him. "You didn't hurt me."  
"Yes I did. Look at you. Katniss, I'm sorry I said those things to you. I didn't mean them. You're wonderful person. You're an amazing mother, and the best wife I could ever ask for. Please don't leave me."  
I sigh, leaning into his chest. "I know it wasn't you. I could never leave you."  
He begins to play with my hair. "Thank you."  
"I love you."  
"I love you too. Always."


	7. Chapter 7

I wake up to the loud footsteps of Roy. That boy definitely did not inherit my silent footsteps. Hence why he typically isn't my hunting partner.  
I raise my head and look around. Roy must be upstairs, because I don't see him down here. Peeta, who is still asleep beside me, seems to be unaffected by his loudness.  
I walk silently to the kitchen, deciding to to make breakfast. I'm pretty sure everybody likes toast, plus it's not too terribly hard to make. I grab some bread from a cabinet and I'm just about to put it in the toaster when...

KA-BOOM!

The stairs. It came from the stairs. I run towards the stairs, and as I get closer I hear crying.

Oh no.

Roy's sitting awkwardly at the landing of the stairs. His arm is in the most awkward position.

I'm no healer, but I can tell there's no way his arm isn't broken.

"Peeta!" I call.  
I sit next to Roy. "What hurts?"  
"My...arm..." Roy says in between sobs.  
I'm starting to rub his back when Peeta appears. It only takes a couple of seconds for him to process what's happened, and get on the phone  
I look up the stairs, and see Raya at the top. She slowly makes her way down, being ever so cautious.

She sits next to Roy. "Hey...It'll be okay. Do you want your teddy bear?"  
Roy nods, and Raya makes her way back upstairs.

Peeta puts the phone down as Raya comes back downstairs, teddy bear in hand.  
"They'll be here in a minute"  
We all sit around Roy. I silently rub his back, my thoughts terrifying me. How worse this could be, wondering if he'll be okay, how I'm ever going to let anyone walk up and down those stairs again.

There's a knock on the door, and Peeta rushes to go get it.

_  
It's not to long until we're in the hospital, sitting in the waiting room. I grip Peeta's hand vice-like, not willing to let go. All I can think about is how Roy didn't stop sobbing after he fell down the stairs.

"Mr. and Mrs. Mellark?" says a female voice.  
Peeta and I both look up.  
"He's alright. They're putting a cast on his arm right now, and he'll be out in a minute," she tells us.  
I breathe a sigh of relief, and I hear Peeta do the same next to me.  
"Can you ask him if he wants his teddy bear?" Raya asks.  
The lady smiles sweetly. "Yes, of course"

I look at Peeta. "He's okay."  
Peeta smiles. "He's gonna be fine honey"

I don't know why, but I'm so worried. I've always been worried about my children. They're my precious babies, and of course I don't want them to get hurt or injured. But for some reason I'm just very emotional today. Maybe it's because of last night. I don't know. I'm just glad Roy's going to be okay.

The lady never does come back out to answer Raya's question about the teddy bear. Raya doesn't pay much attention though. She seems to be like me, involved in her own thoughts. Peeta keeps looking around worriedly.

Raya looks up from beside me with her bright blue eyes. "Is Roy going to be okay?"  
I lean down and hug her. "Roy's going to be just fine sweetie."  
She smiles weakly at me.  
"I think he would like his teddy bear though," I say, knowing she'd love to be of help to anyone.  
"Okay," she says, looking back down at the floor.

Maybe it's just a hard day for everyone. Even Peeta seems to be not only worried, but also just a little bit down.

"The Mellarks?" Comes a male voice from the doorway.  
We all stand up.  
"You can come on back," he says.  
Peeta and I nod, and we all follow him down the hall.  
The place is sterile and clean. It reminds me too much of District 13 and the Capitol, but I try not to think about that.

The man opens one of the doors, and there sits Roy. His arm is wrapped up in a green cast.

Raya runs over to him. "Hi! I brought your teddy bear. Mommy said you would like it."  
Roy nods. "Thank you sissy"  
"I'm glad you're okay. Mommy and daddy were really worried. I love you," Raya says, hugging him.

Peeta and I walk over to Roy, and Raya sits down in a chair by the door.

"Hey buddy," Peeta says. "Do you feel alright?"  
"I'm okay daddy," Roy says.  
I smile. "We love you."  
"I love you too," Roy says, smiling.  
I smile wider. The fact that he just broke his arm, and yet he's still sitting here smiling at us both makes me want to pick him up and hug him forever. My little boy.  
"We're going to go home soon, okay?" Peeta says.  
"Okay," Roy says.

About an hour later, we're all at home. Peeta finishes making the toast, and I make hot chocolate.  
We all sit down, Raya and Roy on the small couch, Peeta and I curled up next to each other on the couch. Raya is chatting up a storm, while Roy listens patiently.

Peeta turns to face me. "Love you."  
I smile. "Love you too"  
"Can we all stay downstairs for tonight? I just...Don't want anyone to get hurt," I say.  
Peeta nods in understanding. "Of course."

So we stay down there all day. We spend the whole day being pretty lazy actually. I don't move from my spot next to Peeta. Roy eventually falls asleep against Raya.

It's about ten o' clock at night when Peeta suddenly turns and kisses me.

I smile. "What was that for? Not that I mind"  
"Nothing...Just, I was thinking. Look at those two," he says, waving his hand to the kids. "We made them you know."  
I smile wider and snuggle closer to him. "Yeah. They're pretty cute too, if I do say so myself."  
Peeta laughs. "Yup."

We fall asleep too eventually, me almost in Peeta's lap. I wake from a nightmare, luckily not screaming. Peeta calms me down and we both fall back asleep. We both get some rest. Roy looks quite comfortable, despite his cast.

And I realize. Even with the pain, even with the scars, the burns, the memories, the terrors. We've still managed to move on. We've still managed to live this life. And it's as if parts of the past travel with us. Raya reminds me so much of Prim on some day's. Peeta's told me before that Roy reminds him of his brothers. It's bittersweet. But we live on.


End file.
